Description
Do you remember the best summer of your life?
New York City, 1945. Marjorie Jacobson and her best friend, Marty Garrett, arrive fresh from the Kappa house at the University of Iowa hoping to find summer positions as shopgirls. Turned away from the top department stores, they miraculously find jobs as pages at Tiffany & Co., becoming the first women to ever work on the sales floor--a diamond-filled day job replete with Tiffany blue shirtwaist dresses from Bonwit Teller's--and the envy of all their friends.
Hart takes us back to the magical time when she and Marty rubbed elbows with the rich and famous; pinched pennies to eat at the Automat; experienced nightlife at La Martinique; and danced away their weekends with dashing midshipmen. Between being dazzled by Judy Garland's honeymoon visit to Tiffany, celebrating VJ Day in Times Square, and mingling with Cafe society, she fell in love, learned unforgettable lessons, made important decisions that would change her future, and created the remarkable memories she now shares with all of us.
New York City, 1945. Marjorie Jacobson and her best friend, Marty Garrett, arrive fresh from the Kappa house at the University of Iowa hoping to find summer positions as shopgirls. Turned away from the top department stores, they miraculously find jobs as pages at Tiffany & Co., becoming the first women to ever work on the sales floor--a diamond-filled day job replete with Tiffany blue shirtwaist dresses from Bonwit Teller's--and the envy of all their friends.
Hart takes us back to the magical time when she and Marty rubbed elbows with the rich and famous; pinched pennies to eat at the Automat; experienced nightlife at La Martinique; and danced away their weekends with dashing midshipmen. Between being dazzled by Judy Garland's honeymoon visit to Tiffany, celebrating VJ Day in Times Square, and mingling with Cafe society, she fell in love, learned unforgettable lessons, made important decisions that would change her future, and created the remarkable memories she now shares with all of us.
Review
I recently bought my copy of this book second hand online and when it arrived it has uncut edges to the pages. Now I understand what Helen Hanff was writing about in 84 Charing Cross Road, when she said English books have nice edges.
I was fine with it as it added to the charm of it being an American edition. There are also some old photos in the book of Marjorie and her friend Marty who we meet in the book.
I loved reading about the summer of 1945 in New York City as experienced by these two girls. I could hardly believe how naive they were, especially when a gentleman said he had been working for Tiffany ever since he married his wife, which they took literally! However there was also a high society customer (she bought 10 plates at $100 dollars each) who when asked where Marjorie came from and she replied Iowa, the lady informed her on the East coast they pronounce it O - Hi - o !!!!!!
It was only when I finished the book that I thought it had seemed a lot happened in what was really only a few summer months. Tiffany even gave Marjorie a Spode teapot which seems a little extravagant for such short employment. She and her friend were the first ever girls employed on the shop floor though.
I just loved the social history aspect of the book and the experience of seeing New York in the 40s through these girls eyes and of course what went on in Tiffany's no less. My heart was in my mouth a few times at some of the mishaps that were luckily resolved.
I'm giving this book four out of five stars.
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